Fragrance
by MystiqueGoddess
Summary: I will always treasure the flowers you give me.
1. Let's stop for a bit

**Fragrance**

_Let's stop for a bit_

"Can we stop for a rest?" Rin whined. "I'm tired from traveling so long."

"Why are _you _complaining? At least _you _get to ride Ah-Un. _I _should be the one complaining," Jaken grumbled.

Just then, Rin looked up ahead and exclaimed, "Oh! Let's stop at that meadow over there! Then I can pick lots and lots of flowers!" She grinned giddily at the prospect of so many flowers, then added, "Please?"

Sessho-Maru said nothing, but he led Ah-Un over there. Rin gave a cry of joy before hopping off Ah-Un and immersing herself in the field.

"But...my lord…shouldn't we be looking for Naraku?" Jaken protested.

"…That can wait," Sessho-Maru replied.

"Well, I don't see why we should stop our search just so Rin can pick flowers," Jaken continued. "It's just a waste of time, since we never bring them with us and they're only left there to rot—"

Unexpectedly, Jaken found himself being forcibly flung at a tree. He was then raised up close to Sessho-Maru's hateful face. "Don't ever say that again!" he snarled before flinging him to the ground and storming away. As Jaken struggled to get his thoughts clear, he still trembled from the fury he had just beheld. _'I've never seen Lord Sessho-Maru this angry before,' _he thought, wondering what it was he said that could have enraged him so.

Sessho-Maru slumped down onto the shaded grass beneath an old, withered tree. He didn't mean to react so violently to what Jaken said, but he didn't want to remember when…

"Lord Sessho-Maru!" Rin cried, disrupting his thoughts. She ran towards him with an arm full of freshly picked flowers. "Do you huff mind if I huff leave these here huff while I go pick more?" she panted.

"No."

"Thanks!" Rin put them beside his fluffy before running off once more. Sessho-Maru watched her frolic among the flowers for a while before turning his gaze on the flowers she left by his side. There were a few pinks, several yellows, and one or two were red. They were very simple to look at, and their smell was not unique. It seemed to blend in with all the other flowers' in the meadow. It was very soothing, and it brought him back to his very first memory of being in a meadow himself, collecting these very same flowers and smelling this very same fragrance with his mother.

**Author's Note: **Sorry it took so long to put this up (for any of you who were waiting). School was busy (same old excuse) and, dare I say it? I forgot to upload it last week instead, so...here it is now! I know this is kind of incomplete, but more will follow next week!


	2. Mother's Favorite

**Fragrance**

'_Mother's Favorite'_

"Mother," Sessho-Maru said, "What are all these pretty things that have a such a nice smell?"

"Silly Sessho-Maru." His mother laughed softly. "They're called flowers. And they're my most favorite things in the world, besides you and your father."

"Does Father like flowers, too?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Yes; your father's favorite flower is lavender," she replied. "Lavender is a purple color flower."

"What about you? What's your favorite flower?"

" Well…" She gave him a secretive smile. "I'll show you, but don't tell your father, all right?"

"Why not?" Sessho-Maru was confused by this request. "Doesn't he already know?"

"No," his mother answered. "He doesn't. It'll be our little secret, okay?"  
"Okay…" Sessho-Maru said unsurely.

"Good! Now follow me," she instructed him. They wove through many different kinds of flowers: pink, red, orange, yellow, gold, blue, purple, purple and yellow, red and orange, three-petaled, four-petaled, five-petaled, six, seven, eight, even none at all! ("That's a dandelion whose seeds and fluff have all blown away," his mother explained) They had thick stems, thin stems, long stems, short stems, sometimes no stem at all; some leaves were small, others large; some were smooth, others had rugged edges. Even the greens varied: light green, dark green, jade green, yellow green, lime green, bright green, forest green, all sorts of greens. Luckily, Sessho-Maru's mother would point them all out, telling her son their names and how to identify each. But when he asked her each time if that was her favorite, she would give him the secretive smile and tell him it was not. Sessho-Maru had never seen so many flowers before and dreaded to point out every single flower to his mother. He had just about given up when they stopped by an ancient tree which was next to a sheer face of stone that seemed to extend into the sky.

"Up there," his mother whispered, pointing an elegant finger upwards. "On the side of this cliff. Do you see it?"

Sessho-Maru shielded his eyes from the bright sun and peered at where she pointed and was able to make out its silhouette. But even from afar, he could tell it was a regal flower, and he had no doubt this was his mother's favorite.

"You see it, don't you," she whispered, smiling lovingly at the wondrous flower.

"What is it called?" Sessho-Maru inquired, his voice a little strained because he was trying to get a better look at it.

"That," his mother said, "I do not know. But I call it 'My Favorite'. As for you, you may call it 'Mother's Favorite'."

"'Mother's Favorite'", Sessho-Maru repeated. "Can you show me Father's favorite—lavender?"

"Alas, that flower does not grow here," she replied wistfully. "While your father is out surveying his lands, he would always bring back some of its perfume for me to wear, I always wear it the day he returns."

"Oh! So _that _is the scent of lavender!" he exclaimed. He then asked, "But how do you know when to wear it?"

"I listen for him in the winds. They say he will be back tomorrow."

"So you'll be wearing that scent tomorrow?"

Sessho-Maru's mother smiled warmly. "Yes. I will be wearing the scent of his favorite flower tomorrow." She then turned to face her son. "What about you, Sessho-Maru? Have you seen one you like?"

"Well…"Sessho-Maru thought for a moment, then finally answered, "I'm not sure. I guess I like all of them."

"Then we'll pick one of each kind," she decided. "You pick the pinks through blues (pink, magenta, purple, indigo, blue), and I'll pick the others. That way, we can carry all of them back home. Let's begin!"

As Sessho-Maru bent down to pluck a violet, he heard his mother humming a song as she bent down to pick a daisy. "What are you humming?" he asked her.

"Oh, it's just a song I like to sing to myself while I go out picking flowers," she replied. "Want me to teach it to you?"

"Yes, please!" he answered.

"Okay, it goes like this," his mother said, then closed her eyes, twirled the daisy, and began to sing.

"_Up in the sky, shining brightly, is the sun_

_I pick the flowers in the lea, one by one_

_First I pick a red, followed by orange and yellow_

_Green, blue, purple—Look! I made a rainbow!_

_Even though the sky is clear_

_And the sun is very bright_

_Not a cloud with a single tear_

_Not a gray cloud in sight!_

_Today my heart is full of cheer_

_For in flowers I take delight!"_

"Now you try," she told him. And together, they sang,

"_Up in the sky, shining brightly, is the sun_

_I pick the flowers in the lea, one by one_

_First I pick a red, followed by orange and yellow_

_Green, blue, purple—Look! I made a rainbow!_

_Even though the sky is clear_

_And the sun is very bright_

_Not a cloud with a single tear_

_Not a gray cloud in sight!_

_Today my heart is full of cheer_

_For in flowers I take delight!"_

And this they sang over and over as they plucked more and more flowers. Suddenly, a clap of thunder broke through their singing and rain pelted them like pebbles. The wind blew very hard and threatened to snatch away their bundle of flowers.

"Hurry, Sessho-Maru! We have to head back before this storm gets any worse!" his mother yelled. As they dashed against the lashing rain and wind, Sessho-Maru heard his mother mutter, _"What could be wrong? It never rains like this whenever I sing my flower-picking song." _And all the while, thunder boomed in his ears, though he could see no lightning, which he thought was peculiar. All of a sudden, the clouds began to disappear, as did the rain and gray sky, and his mother's worried face gradually faded into Rin's…

"That was pretty!" Rin cried, clapping enthusiastically. "What song was that?" Sessho-Maru awoke to find that it had all been a dream. The clapping must have caused the thunder.

"It's…a song my mother taught me," Sessho-Maru replied hesitantly, then looked away. He had never told her that much about himself before. He then noticed that the small bundle of flowers Rin gave him earlier had now become a large pile around him.

"Will you teach it to me, please?" she begged him.

"…It goes like this…" he said, closed his eyes, randomly selected a flower from the pile, twirled it, and began to sing.

"_Up in the sky, shining brightly, is the sun_

_I pick the flowers in the lea, one by one_

_First I pick a red, followed by orange and yellow_

_Green, blue, purple—Look! I made a rainbow!_

_Even though the sky is clear_

_And the sun is very bright_

_Not a cloud with a single tear_

_Not a gray cloud in sight!_

_Today my heart is full of cheer_

_For in flowers I take delight!"_

"Oh!" Rin exclaimed. "I have red, and orange, and yellow…blue…purple…where can I find a green flower?" She gave him quizzical look.

"I think the flowers' leaves will suffice," he answered.

Rin gave him a goofy grin. "Then I have them all! Wait, let me just move them a bit…" She took several flowers of each color from the pile and plucked off their leaves, arranging them into a squiggly—if not crooked—rainbow. "See? Here's a rainbow, even though it hasn't rained at all today!" She got up and twirled around until she grew dizzy and collapsed onto the heap of flowers around Sessho-Maru.

"Your mother is right," Rin sighed happily. "I can't imagine anything more cheerful than a rainbow on a sunny day…" She laid like that for a while before Sessho-Maru realized she was asleep. Instinctively, he caringly stroked her hair.

"Oh…huff…my lord…huff…there you are!" Jaken puffed, then noticed the sleeping Rin. "Oh…is she asleep? Finally, we can continue searching! Let's put her on Ah-Un's back and leave this meadow already. The sun makes it unbearably hot!"

"No…let's stay here a little longer," Sessho-Maru replied.

"B-But, my lord, what about Naraku—"

"What **about **Naraku?" Sessho-Maru gave him an impatient look.

"N-Nothing," Jaken stuttered nervously.

The sun, indeed, was very bright, as mentioned in his mother's song. _"Today my heart is full of cheer, for in flowers I take delight!"_

'_But what about tomorrow, Mother?' _he thought.

**Author's Note: **Sorry, I forgot to put disclaims on the first chapter. Here it is:

I don't own Inu-Yasha or any of the characters.

But, obviously, I own this story and the flower-picking song and the chapter title as well as the story title...which you should know already.

Next chapter next week!


	3. The Last Flower

**Fragrance**

'_The Last Flower' _

"Should I wear this kimono—or this one?" Sessho-Maru's mother asked her son, holding up a red and a blue kimono. Sessho-Maru couldn't help but smirk.

"What's so funny?" his mother growled.

"It's just that…you have a red kimono and a blue kimono, but you don't have a purple one?" he snickered.

"I do!" she protested. "The only thing is…it's not as pretty as these two…"

"I don't think it will matter to Father which one you wear, as long as _you're _the one wearing it," Sessho-Maru remarked.

His mother blushed and couldn't suppress a pleased smile. "You're right. I'll just wear the purple one and the lavender perfume. Now, where did I put them?" She began looking through her drawers until she found both the kimono and perfume. "Turn around, Sessho-Maru," she ordered as she changed into the purple kimono. Sessho-Maru promptly did as his mother told him and turned to stare at the sky from the window. It had stopped raining, but the sky was still a dull gray. Somehow, it gave him a sense of foreboding…

"Okay, you can turn around now," his mother announced as she delicately sprayed herself with the perfume, filling the room with the scent of lavenders. Sessho-Maru deeply inhaled the pleasant smell. "There, that was the bottle. Your father better bring more."

"Do you think he'll like the flowers we picked and put into vases placed around our home?" Sessho-Maru asked.

"Of course, as long as _we _picked them!" his mother said, and they both burst into laughter.

It was almost midnight, but Sessho-Maru's father still hadn't returned.

"What do you think is taking Father so long?" Sessho-Maru murmured before breaking into a big yawn.

"I don't know," his mother replied worriedly, clutching her kimono sleeve tightly. "He's never been this late before."

"What do the breezes tell you, Mother?" Sessho-Maru asked right before yawning again.

His mother clenched the sleeve even more tightly, but her fist was trembling. "There _were_ no breezes today," she answered. "I know nothing." She then turned to give Sessho-Maru a reassuring smile. "Don't worry; your father must have encountered a minor inconvenience on his journey back. I'm sure he'll be here by tomorrow morning. Go to sleep, dear."

"Wake me when he gets back, then," he told her before stifling another yawn. He had complete faith in his father and wasn't the slightest bit worried. "Maybe he couldn't find some lavender perfume, so he's searching extra hard. The next time we see him, he might say, 'Sorry I took so long; that lavender perfume sure was hard to find. Maybe I should change my favorite flower to rose.'"

His mother giggled at the thought but scolded him. "Go to sleep, Sessho-Maru." So they were reassured that day, at least.

Sessho-Maru woke up to find that it was already midday. He saw that his mother was still sitting at the exact same spot from the previous night, and her nervous posture remained unchanged.

"Good morning—well, actually afternoon. Why didn't you wake me up, Mother? Has Father _still _not come back?" Sessho-Maru asked with false innocence.

His mother gave him a smile, but it wavered. "I'm sorry, Sessho-Maru. No, he still hasn't come back yet."

"Then let's go pick flowers to pass the time," Sessho-Maru suggested. "We can surprise Father when he gets back by filling our home with flowers. I bet he would never expect to have a mountain of flowers bombard him when he enters his home."

"That's a wonderful idea! If he yells at us, we can yell right back!" his mother declared and clapped delightedly. "But you go on ahead; I'll wait here in case I see him. If I do, I'll warn you and we can go give him his 'big surprise'."

"Are you sure you don't want to come with me?" he asked, almost pleadingly.

"Yes, I'm sure," she replied firmly and gave him a bright smile. "Now go have fun! Sing the flower-picking song for good luck!"

"I will," he said slowly, but as he began walking towards the flower field, he stole a look back and saw his mother still sitting there with a small smile, awaiting his father's return. She looked so alone, waiting by herself, and Sessho-Maru wondered if he should go back and convince her to come with him. But she saw his glance and waved at him, then making a shooing gesture to tell him to hurry up and go. So he had no choice but to continue heading towards the meadow and leaving his mother behind.

This continued on for several days. Sessho-Maru would go out every afternoon to collect flowers. He would then put them in vases and place them around their home. When the vases ran out, he would use pots, and when those ran out, he would put them in cups and bowls. When he ran out of those, too, he just placed them on an available surface, whether it be the table, the floor, or his mother's bed. Not that she slept in it anymore. His mother hadn't moved an inch from her spot, still awaiting his father, and so Sessho-Maru continued to head out to the meadows everyday to pick flowers to fill up their home.

As the days progressed, the flowers in the field grew less and less, until he could find none left, save one. It was a snow white flower with a bluish tinge, and it was so minute that he didn't notice it until he stepped on it, for its petals were soft and silky in contrast to the rough, dried grass around it, though now its stem was bent. At first, Sessho-Maru couldn't bring himself to pick it and merely stared at it. It was so small, so fragile, that he was afraid that just his touch could crumple it, reduce it to nothing. But he knew he that if he picked it, then the next time he came, he would truly be alone in an empty field.

'_No, there _is _no next time,' _he thought angrily. _'If I pick this flower, then there's no point in coming back. It's almost autumn, and if I don't pick this flower, then it'll… die...by itself...' _He stared at it, full of sadness and uncertainty. Slowly, he reached out and plucked it._ 'But I can't pick it by itself; it must have a companion...'_

But try as he might, he could find no other flower. He was about to give up and go back when he remembered his mother's favorite flower. _'I'll go pick that one first and then pick this one on the way back,' _he thought determinedly and set off for the cliff face.

Because the bottom was too steep to scale, Sessho-Maru climbed the old tree beside it first. The tree was very tall as well as being gnarled and twisted, and Sessho-Maru had to wonder if climbing the tree was any better than the cliff. But in the end, he made it to the top, though he saw he was still at least five arms' length from Mother's Favorite. Nonetheless, he had a clear view of the flower from where he was, and he was almost overwhelmed by awe. It's blinding white petals curved regally, roughly frilled at the edges, and purple stripes ran up them from a golden center. Cushioned by deep green leaves on its perch at the edge of the cliff, the sight was stunning to behold. It almost made Sessho-Maru wish he didn't have to pick it, but the thought of his mother sitting back where he left her all alone helped him snap out of it. Slowly yet steadily, he crept along a crooked branch that extended towards the flower and tried not to look down. The branch trembled as he made his way closer and closer to the flower. Once he was close enough, he carefully reached out to pick it, his fingers outstretched towards its thick stem. Almost there…_**Snap! **_With a sharp tug, he managed to grab the flower and pull it out of the rock. However, the sudden movement caused the branch to creak and crack a little. Clinging onto the branch tightly yet onto the flower even tighter, he cautiously crept back along the branch to the trunk. Each step brought another creak and another crack; his palms grew sweaty at the possibility that the branch might not hold him until he reached the trunk,, and in one terrifying moment, his hands slipped, and he was only lucky that there was another smaller branch extending from underneath the one he was on, as it caught him just before he could have suffered a fatal fall. Sweat rolled down Sessho-Maru's cheek as he swallowed nervously, his heart hammering against his chest. After he calmed down a little, he continued crawling, doing his best to ignore the sounds of the branch creaking and cracking. Inch by inch, he crawled until his hand made it past the crack. Just when he was prepared to leap for the trunk, the branch underneath him gave away. He groped for the closest branch but missed, and thus, lost his last chance, for the branch he was on was the farthest from the tree as well as being the closest to the cliff. All he could do was hold onto his Mother's Favorite with an iron grip while he fell eighty feet back down to the ground.

"_Sessho-Maru," _said a voice.

It was black all around him, and he couldn't see who it was that called his name.

"_Sessho-Maru," _said the voice, louder this time. Then, it called his name again, gradually growing brighter and brighter until he could make out a pale face staring at him. It looked familiar…was it…his father…?

"Is that you, Father? Have you comeback?" he asked drowsily.

The face smiled sadly. "No, your father isn't back yet."

Sessho-Maru immediately recognized who it was. "Mother? What are you doing all the way out here?" He tried to sit up, but his whole body felt like it was on fire.

"No no, stay down!" his mother ordered. "I've healed the worst wounds and fractures, but you still shouldn't move!" All of a sudden, she burst into tears.

"I'm sorry, Sessho-Maru…I'm so sorry!" she sobbed. "I've been neglecting you, only thinking of your father's return. But when you didn't return at the usual time, I began to worry about you. I don't know what I would do if you never came back as well!"

"Mother, I'm sure Father will come back…" Sessho-Maru began but was cut off when his mother swept him into a tight embrace.

"No, it's okay," she whispered. "I'm not going to wait anymore." And in a low voice, she sang the flower-picking song, even though the sun was setting and the field was devoid of flowers, and her tears flowed as freely as if they were rain, and even though she was still sad, Sessho-Maru knew that, in her heart, the sun was shining through gray clouds; the empty field was harboring seeds yet to sprout, and the rain was watering them. He knew all of this because he knew his mother was singing her song from her heart. And as his eyes began to close from the lulling melody, he thought he heard the wind whispering in his ears.

"Mother…" he murmured. "The winds are back.

"And they say Father will be back this evening, when the sun is a mere speck on the horizon and the full moon rises overhead.

"Make sure…to surprise him…for good…when he gets back…"

With that said, Sessho-Maru drifted off into sleep.

**Author's Note:** Yeah, this chapter was pretty long compared to the previous ones; the next chapter might be just as long. I think I'm slipping into the making-chapters-longer habit again...just a warning. Next chapter next week!


	4. Shattered Heart

**Fragrance**

_Shattered Heart_

Sessho-Maru woke up to the sound of shattering. Alarmed, he shot up and winced, but it wasn't as bad as the previous day. He looked around to see nothing wrong, but was unnerved by the sudden silence. Just then, something shattered in a room nearby. His heart pounding in his chest, Sessho-Maru cautiously walked towards the door and slowly opened it.

What he saw stunned him. The flowers he had arranged so neatly now lay trampled on the ground, turning yellow and brown. The vases, pots, cups, and bowls that held them were smashed into pieces; the water contained inside were puddles around the floor. If Sessho-Maru didn't know any better, he would have thought that a fight had brewed here. But the walls were unscathed.

Just then, he heard shattering once more, coming from the next room. He had a bad feeling about it but forced himself to open the door.

What he saw thoroughly shocked him. Like the other room, the floor was littered with flowers and shards and water, but that wasn't the reason why he was so shocked. He was dismayed to find that his mother was behind all of this.

Her hair was tangled mess; she obviously hadn't washed or combed it this morning, which gave it a ragged appearance. The kimono she wore the previous days now lay on the floor, soaking up the spilled water and impaled by the broken pieces. Sessho-Maru was aghast to see his mother's once calm and beautiful contorted with rage, pain, confusion, and sadness. He could only look on helplessly, paralyzed by the unsightly scene that lay before him. His mother snatched vase after vase and threw them with a blind rage at the walls and floor and crush all that lay in her path; she ripped apart the flowers and crushed the clay shards to dust; the water moved away from her as if fearing her relentless onslaught, and he was too terrified to interfere. However, when he saw that she was prepared to destroy her favorite flower as well, he cried out, "Stop! What are you doing, Mother? That's your favorite—"

He was cut off when the vase hit him right in his forehead and broke, causing the water that trickled down to be stained with blood. His mother froze, disbelief showing on her face as she took in what she had just done. Sessho-Maru stared emptily at the once magnificent flower that now lay sopping wet on the floor.

"Why…?" he whispered, as tears welled up in his eyes. "Why, Mother? Why are you doing this?"

She became startled at the sound of his voice and began trembling violently. Sessho-Maru bent down to pick up the flower, moving as if he was in a dream, and indeed, it seemed very much that way. This was all a bad dream, a nightmare he knew he could never wake from.

"I thought you said that flowers were your most favorite things in the world," he continued, and his voice steadily increased in volume. "I thought you said that, but look at all the flowers you've trampled; look at your favorite flower. You almost trampled your favorite flower too!" Sessho-Maru was shouting now. "Why, Mother? I don't understand. Why would you do this to—"

"Shut up!" his mother screeched. "I don't want to hear another word of it! I hate flowers, and I hate your father!"

The Mother's Favorite fell onto the floor with a plop. Sessho-Maru stared at his mother with a dumbfounded expression, his eyes wide. Hate…? She hated…flowers? She hated…his father…?!

"Father…came yesterday…didn't he?" Sessho-Maru asked in a quavering voice. "You've been waiting so long…it was supposed to be a happy reunion…so why…?"

"_Why?_" She gave a bitter laugh. "Why?" she laughed so hard that she doubled over and tears sprung form her eyes, and Sessho-Maru realized that the shivering of her shoulders were from sobs instead of laughing. Finally, her legs gave away and she collapsed onto the floor, unable to control the trembling and tears that streamed from her eyes. With a shaking hand, she slowly reached for the fallen flower and clutched it close to her. "Why…?" she sobbed. "Why did you leave me… why did you abandon me?"

Sessho-Maru looked away, trying to blink back his tears, but even so, he could still hear her sobbing, "Why? Why?" At last, he stand it longer and left the broken room, left his broken home, left his heart-broken mother.

Sessho-Maru found himself in the meadows again, though if he hadn't traveled there so often, he would never have recognized it the way it was now. The field was bare, except for the small patches of dirty yellow and withering brown grass scattered around the barren rock. Without thinking, he walked towards the spot where he had left the little blue flower the other day. Its bent stem could barely support it, and its petals were drooping, yet, miraculously, its petal was just as blue as when he first set his eyes upon them, if not bluer. Still, that only seemed to the sadness and loneliness the flower portrayed. The sight of it filled Sessho-Maru with pity, and strangely, gave him a little hope, and having no other friend in the world, he began to talk to it.

"It's amazing how you managed to survive this long. I'm sorry I didn't get to pick you yesterday," he told it in an apologetic tone, but then he recalled the trampled flowers back at his home. "Actually, maybe it was a good thing I left you yesterday. My mother trampled all of your friends." An image of his mother picking flowers with him, smiling and singing as they did so, popped into his head. "To tell the truth, Mother really wasn't like that before. Before, she was king and good natured. Before, she loved flowers, and Father, and…me." He tried to hold back his tears. "You would have liked her, too. But now…I don't know what happened…she's changed." And he realized that it was not overnight. It seemed to have accumulated over the past week. Where was his father? What had happened last night?

He looked towards the setting sun, and for the while, his worries were lost in the gradually darkening sky.

As the sun disappeared beneath the horizon, Sessho-Maru caught a whiff of a familiar scent. Could it really be? He quickly got on his feet and came face to face with his father.

"Father…" was all Sessho-Maru could say.

"Sessho-Maru," his father said in turn.

The two stared at each other as a wind swept between them, blowing their fine, white hair. Finally, Sessho-Maru broke the silence.

"What happened…yesterday?" he asked cautiously. "Mother…she's so upset…"

"Is she?" his father said with a troubled look, though the tone of his voice suggested that he knew that very well.

"You know how Mother loves flowers…right?" Sessho-Maru continued. "She says they're her most favorite things in the world…except for us."

His father smiled sadly. "Yes, I know that." But his eyes held a look that doubted if it was still true.

"Well…she _did _shower you with flowers when you came back yesterday, didn't she?" Sessho-Maru asked quickly, deciding that he wouldn't just mention the morning's incident. Yet.

His father sensed that he was hiding something but decided not to push it and answered, "Yes." He even broke into a small smile at the memory, but it only lasted for a moment. He hesitated, but then he added somberly, "Sessho-Maru, I need to tell you something."

Sessho-Maru's heart sank. He could tell from his father's face that his news would not bode well. His father took a deep breath before continuing.

"Last night, your mother and I had a fight."

That hit Sessho-Maru pretty hard. His parents had never argued before. In a quivering voice, he asked, "Why…why were you fighting?" Some part was desperate to know, but another dreaded what was about to be heard. His father looked away.

"I fell in love with a human."

Sessho-Maru's head was reeling with shock, confusion, and disbelief as a myriad of thoughts rushed through. _A human? His father was in love with a human? With a __**human?**__ What about his mother? No wonder his mother was so distressed! How could this happen? How could this be? How could his father choose a human over his mother?_

His father watched with patience and understanding as his son was taking in this news. Gradually, he managed to regain his senses as he gazed painfully into his father's eyes.

"Don't you…still love Mother?" he whispered, his voice barely audible. "Or…is it that you hate her now? Because this morning, she told me she hated you!" It came out fast now; the whole incident that he struggled to suppress came flooding out in heated words. "This morning, she was breaking all the vases we had carefully set out for you! She trampled all the flowers we picked; she even threw a vase at me! Don't you know how much pain you've cause during your absence? That she was still waiting for you while you were with that…that…that _human?_" He spat that out with disgust. He then added bitterly, "Is she worth that much to you? Don't we mean anything to you, Father?" He stopped, frantically wiping the tears that poured from his eyes.

"Sessho-Maru…" his father began. "You know that I…"

"Shut up!" he cried. "I hate you! Go stay with that lousy human you love, then!" He tore away from his father, from the flower, from the field, running as fast as he could as many thoughts conflicted within his mind.

He wanted to hear what his father was about to say…

"_Just keep running."_

He was afraid of what his father might say…

"_Just keep running."_

He hated his father, his traitorous father…

"_Just keep running."_

He felt sad and forsaken. Why did his father choose that human over them?

"_Just keep running."_

He wanted to run away and never see his father ever again.

"_Just keep running."_

He wanted to stop. He wanted to go back and apologize for what he had just said.

"_Just keep running."_

Finally, he ran all the way back to the broken house, to the broken room, to his broken mother, and hugged her tight like she did to him the day before, hugged her as if he could hold the pieces together before they could break any more, as if he could somehow make them whole again.

**Author's Note: **OK! Next and last chapter coming next week!


	5. Always With You

**Fragrance**

'_Always with you'_

**Author's Note: **It's the last chapter! I thought the end was really cute, and I hope you do, too. Please review; it'll give me an idea of what you think about the whole story. I decided that the next time I post a story, I'll post the whole thing, so don't expect one for quite a while. Enjoy!

"Here you go, Mother. Tea is ready," Sessho-Maru announced softly as he set down a teacup in front of his mother. But it was as if she hadn't heard him, for her eyes remained emotionless, staring blankly ahead and taking nothing in.

Sessho-Maru blew into his cup before sipping, enjoying its warmth coursing through his body and cleansing his mind. This ritual had gone on for many days now. At times, he thought he might of saw a flicker of recognition I his mother's eyes whenever he brought her tea. She would sit there, staring past him as he took his time to finish his tea. Once the cup was empty, he would get up and leave to visit his little flower friend. It seemed the small blue flower waited patiently for him every afternoon, and they would sit there, quietly in the meadow, taking in their ever-changing surroundings. Day by day, the air grew colder, the winds blew sharper, and the trees emerged in a dazzling display of fiery red, mellow orange, bright yellow, pleasant green, deep purple, and rich brown before the beauty faded and the leaves were only shadows of what they were before. It was then that Sessho-Maru took a fancy to jumping among the fallen leaves, and for a while, he enjoyed himself immensely.

He finished the last drop of tea and began to walk towards the door when an arm grasped his sleeve with a surprising strength. Sessho-Maru turned around and his eyes met his mother's. They were moist and full of feeling, and Sessho-Maru's felt his hopes rising as they held eye contact.

"Help…me…up…" she said in a raspy voice that was unused to speaking after such a long period of silence. But it seemed to hold a sort of desperation that compelled Sessho-Maru to do as she bade him to without question. She slowly rose on unsteady legs as Sessho-Maru supported her on his arm. Cautiously, yet determinedly, she took tentative steps forward, wobbling as she did so, and she nearly fell several times had Sessho-Maru not been there.

"The meadow…I have to see…the meadow…" she pleaded as she stumbled forward.

"But Mother," Sessho-Maru protested, "there isn't anything there anymore—"

"Don't…speak…" his mother cut in. "Keep moving…"

Slowly, but surely, they made their way outside. Sessho-Maru's mother clutched feebly at the now withered favorite flower in her hair as a cold breeze blew past them.

"Do you want to go back in?" he asked anxiously when he saw her shiver violently against the cold, but she merely shook her head. "Keep moving…" she repeated firmly, determination alight in her eyes. And so, they continued trudging on.

By the time they arrived at the now barren field, snowflakes were beginning to drift down gently, almost as if they were brilliant white blossoms falling from a blooming tree instead of the clouded sky.

"So beautiful…" Sessho-Maru's mother breathed as her eyes followed their descent. "Just like…when I first met your father…"

Sessho-Maru braced himself for his mother to break down crying once more at the mention of his father, but she only smiled at the apparently fond memory, lost in her past.

"It was on a clear, sunny day, right at this very spot. Did you know there was once an apple tree here? They were the most delicious apples I've ever eaten. Of course," she giggled, "they were the only apples I've ever eaten."

"What was Father doing here?" Sessho-Maru asked, his curiosity getting the better of him.

"Oh, his mother sent him here on an errand. It was completely by chance that I met him, as I don't always go here everyday. You should have seen him; I had to save him from being stranded in a tree." She giggled again, and her pale cheeks grew rosy. Sessho-Maru stared in wonder at his mother, looking almost healthy and herself again, at the prospect that the mention of his father could bring her such happiness and sorrow, and at the fact that his father was once stuck in a tree. "What was the errand?"

She stopped giggling and attempted to hide behind her sleeves, her eyes downcast. "It was…to pick a flower…"

"_Your _favorite flower?" Sessho-Maru asked excitedly. He could just make out a nod from his mother nodded her sleeves.

"Well…your father is still embarrassed by that memory, so I tried not to mention it…So when he asked me what my favorite flower was, I told him lavender instead," she admitted, but then grinned. "Now that I think about it, that was the same tree that you fell from."

"Oh! So _that's _why you told me not to tell Father!" Sessho-Maru exclaimed, ignoring the comment about the tree. Now it all made sense to him. His father's favorite flower reminded him of his mother, and his mother's favorite flower reminded her of his father. How ironic that they based their favorite flowers on the other's opinion.

Sessho-Maru stared down at the ground where his flower was. Who did it remind him of?

All of a sudden, the wind grew fiercer and lashed the snow against them.

"Mother! We have to go back!" Sessho-Maru called out, shielding his face.

There was no response.

"Mother!" Sessho-Maru cried out once more, fear gripping his heart. The snow had quickly risen up to his knees, and he feared that if they did not leave right away, they may not have another chance.

As he made his way forward, he caught a glimpse of her hair. He then bounded forward in an attempt to catch up, but once he saw the look on his mother's face, he stopped cold. It was not an expression to be afraid of, but rather afraid for, for it was one of serenity and tranquility, that held a bemused smile and a gaze that looked beyond what was in front of the eyes, but most of all, it held a sense of calm that showed no fear of and even welcomed whatever was ahead.

"Mother! Mother!" Sessho-Maru yelled desperately as he yanked on her sleeves to get her attention, and at first, it seemed like she did not hear him. Then, she gently removed his hands from her sleeves and told him, "Hush now, Sessho-Maru. Everything will be all right. Thank you for taking care of me. I've enjoyed being with you and your father."

"What are you talking about?" Sessho-Maru demanded with an alarmed expression. "Where are you going?"

"To rest," she replied. Sessho-Maru's blood ran cold.

"Don't go! You can't abandon me as well!" he protested fearfully, and then he whimpered, "Please…can't you stay with me?"

His mother smiled sadly, he expression pained, and she answered in a patient tone, "Sessho-Maru, can you understand that I can never be at peace while I am alive? While your father loves another?"

"Then kill her!" he proposed heatedly. "Kill her so that father can come back!"

She merely shook her head, staring at him disappointedly. "How would that help? Do you honestly think he will forget about her after I kill her? Do you think your father can love still love me after I killed someone he loved? How would you feel if your father killed me?"

Sessho-Maru stared down bitterly and shamefacedly. "But…can't you be satisfied with being with me? I can still take care of you."

His mother's expression softened. "Sessho-Maru, would you really want to take care of a broken demoness with no will left to live? I would rather that I die with my sanity intact and my son still alive. I don't know what I'd do if I continued living. It'd be a pointless, empty existence, and I don't want that, and I don't want that for you."

Sessho-Maru said nothing; he understood. "I'm not important enough for you to stay."

A hurt look crossed his mother's face. "Sessho-Maru…please don't think I'm abandoning you. I would never do such a thing. And now that I think back, your father would never do such a thing, either. He hasn't abandoned us. It was just that…I was so shocked…so hurt. My mind was clouded with anger and sadness; I did not see that he still loved me as well." She took the withered flower out of her hair and placed it in Sessh-Maru's. "A reminder that I will be with you."

"But it'll disintegrate," Sessho-Maru objected.

"Not if you keep it in here," she replied, pointing at his heart. Sessho-Maru stared at the flower, then at his mother's finger, and then at his heart before stroking the flower she gave him. She smiled warmly at him, although her face was blurred from the flurry of snow. "And tell your father that I still love him." With that said, she disappeared into the snowstorm.

Sessho-Maru stared at the spot where she vanished, unable to fully grasp that it happened. His mother was gone.

Unexpectedly, he let out a sob and crumpled into the snow, the tears freezing on his face. He couldn't understand this hollow feeling inside of him, as the last person he ever knew and loved was gone from his life. But she had just told him he was not alone. So why did it feel that way?

A firm hand rested on his shoulder. He looked up to see the solemn face of his father and saw that his eyes were moist. Sessho-Maru didn't realize how much he missed him until now, and he hugged his father tightly.

"She's gone," he whispered, the two words he dreaded to say. "She's really gone." He then remembered her last message. "She said to…tell you that…she still loves you."

His father embraced him back. "I know," he said. "I still love her, too." He then let go to take out something, a purple…flower, perhaps?

"Do you hear me?" his father bellowed. "I love you, too!" He then released the flower into the furious gale, and they watched it disappear as well.

"May your mother rest in peace," he murmured.

There was a moment of silence except for the howling of the wind.

"Can I live with you?" Sessho-Maru blurted out, surprising his father.

His father looked uncertain. "Yes, but…I'm living with a human, Sessho-Maru. Are you sure you want that?"

Sessho-Maru looked away bitterly. His father looked deep in thought.

Finally, he told him, "Learn to survive by yourself. Perhaps we may meet again one day. You know my scent, and I know yours." Sessho-Maru only nodded miserably. "Well then, good bye, my son. May you be stronger the next time we meet. And remember, you're not alone."

His father's image seemed to melt into the swirling snow, and before long, Sessho-Maru was by himself.

He did not know how long he had been laying there, with the snow softly brushing past his face. They were so soft, so delicate, so light as they covered him, and he wanted to stay like that forever…

"Ta-da!" Rin cried, showering him once more with flowers. When he did not stir, she wiggled a flower under his nose. Sessho-Maru twitched and sneezed.

When he was fully awake, he gave Rin an irritated glare. "Rin…" he growled.

"Rin! That was _terribly _rude!" Jaken reprimanded scornfully. "Do _not _treat Lord Sessho-Maru in such an undignified manner, especially after he agreed to stay here for the day." He wiped a sweat off his brow. "Whew. Can we leave now, my lord?"

"No, wait!" Rin pleaded. "Not yet! I still have to show Lord Sessho-Maru all the flowers!"

"What! Lord Sessho-Maru has no time for such—"

"Shut up, Jaken," Sessho-Maru cut in.

Jaken immediately fell into stunned silence.

Rin beamed and picked up several flowers and began rattling on about them.

"See this pink one? It's my mother! She's so kind and understanding…and this one! This yellow one is my big brother, because he's just as bright! And this purple one is my older sister, because she loves purple. This white one is my other big sister because she is so neat and organized. She was about to get married…" She paused.

"And the red one?" Sessho-Maru prodded gently.

"It's my father," Rin smiled sadly, "because he's so fiery and robust. I can't believe he's dead…I can't believe they're all dead…" She shook her head as if to shake off her sadness.

Sessho-Maru at all the flowers she gathered and recalled his mother's question to him. "Which one is your favorite?"

She grinned and pulled out a small, blue flower from behind her back. When he laid eyes on the flower, he froze.

"This one," she said shyly. "I like it because it reminds me of you. Do you like it?"

"Yes…I like it…" he answered, though his voice was shaky from holding back his emotions. That was it. That was who the little flower was.

It was him.

"Do you like the other ones, too?" Rin asked hopefully. "Because I was going to give this one especially to you, but I wasn't sure if you'd like it so I picked all these other flowers. But it'd be such a waste if you didn't like them after all…It seems so sad to just leave them there…"

Sessho-Maru wrapped her in a tight embrace.

"Rin," he told her, "I will always treasure the flowers you pick for me."


End file.
